The operation of ICEs to power vehicles of transportation and for other uses consumes much of the world's energy. Most such ICE's are only 20-30% efficient and a major portion of the fuels used are wasted. This leads to depletion of global resources and creation of excessive amounts of pollutants and greenhouse gases. Allegedly this is caused because the combustion process inside either a spark ignition gasoline engine or a compression ignition diesel engine is too slow relative to a power stroke of the engine. (U.S. 20110247585 [003]; now U.S. Pat. No. 8,176,900)
For a purpose of creating a motive force an ICE typically employees a combustion chamber or a plurality of combustion chambers. Such ICEs have seen a use in a powering of a wide variety of devices, in which the combustion is intermittent, including, but not being exclusively limited to a usage in: a land transport vehicle, a marine vehicle, a boiler arrangement, a pumping device, an incineration device, a powering of a turbine; in such usage, most such ICEs derive power from a use of an energy dense fuel such as gasoline or diesel, liquids derived from fossil fuels, more currently some bio-fuels have entered the field for a use in powering cars, motorcycles, aircraft, boats and a wide variety of recreational vehicles. The combustion process is typically brought about under a condition of both high heat and high compression.
ICE's are also used in continuous combustion engines such as gas turbines, jet engines and even in some rocket engines which operate on the same principal of an admixing of a fuel with an air mass in a combustion chamber as a means to provide a power of propulsion for a mobile vehicle, or, a power for a transformation of a chemical energy into a mechanical energy as a work output of a stationary device.
As part of the chemical reactions involved in the combustion process, a certain amount of undesirable exhaust emissions occur. These emissions can cause serious environmental pollution and present hazards to human health. Therefore the controlling of partially-oxidized hydrocarbons (HC), less than fully combusted carbon as carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) can have a direct effect in controlling photochemical smog and its associated problems.
Many processes and methods have been developed in order to lower undesirable exhaust emissions. A major effort has focused on the removal of HC and NOX by use of: three way catalytic converters (TWCs) to remove pollutants created during the combustion process before they exit into the environment; the greatest efficiency occurs with the combined use of TWCs along with a preventive measure in the form of using electronic fuel injectors that are regulated by a microprocessor which receives signals from an exhaust gas sensor as part of an engine control unit (ECU); this latter process regulates the combustion to satisfy several needs, including reduction of the formation of undesirable exhaust emissions.
One problem with TWCs is that they operate most efficiently at high temperatures and so, at the initial startup of an ICE, the catalytic converter does almost nothing to reduce exhaust pollutant. It is noteworthy that, as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,908,023, an oxygen enriched air stream supplied to an ICE causes an elevation in the exhaust-gas temperature such that the start time of the catalytic converter in the vehicle is reduced and the catalytic converter reaches it's full operating temperature more quickly.
An oxygen enriched air stream also provides a decrease of the raw exhaust emissions including CO and HC from the ICE into the exhaust system because of the improved fuel combustion. NOX is reduced because the process of preparing Hi-Osub2 is paralleled by a removal of N in the air stream.
The use of fuel injection technology allows control and improvement of several functional objectives such as: regulation of Power output, improvement of Fuel efficiency, greater control of Emissions, Drivability and smooth operation of the motor vehicle, range of environmental operability and engine tuning.
A specific example of a “preventive” approach to further improving fuel injection performance is found in U.S. 20110247585. The invention leads to further reduction of NOX, and also improves engine performance: the improvement is essentially created because, in operation, the fuel injector is led to precisely meter an ignition of HI-OSub2-2 in a fast burn zone in which a leading surface of the fuel is completely burned at a close proximity to the top of the combustion chamber within several microseconds.
An example of the post-combustion control of undesirable combustion byproducts, especially carbon monoxide, is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,540 which teaches: “ . . . an air injection system injecting supplementary air into the exhaust manifold of an internal combustion engine for the purpose of oxidizing the unburned exhaust emissions, thereby reducing the emission of undesirable pollutants. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,540 Abstract). Generally, the air should be delivered to the exhaust manifold at a rate such that the oxygen content of the injected air is slightly higher than that necessary for complete oxidation of the emissions. This final oxidation process can take place in a normal exhaust manifold or can be enhanced through the use of thermal and/or catalytic reactors. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,540 Background of the Invention).
The following patents, also of the “preventive” type of action, typify the use of fuel additive compositions used for the purposes of improving stability of stored fuels and reducing undesirable exhaust emissions: U.S. Pat. No. 7,887,604 (Microemulsion Nanotechnology Fuel Additive); U.S. Pat. No. 7,977,287 (Microemulsion (Nanotechnology) Additive To Oil); US 20050257420 (Composition As An additive To Create Clear Stable Solutions And Microemulsions With A Combustible Liquid Fuel To Improve Combustion).
Turbochargers, Superchargers and Turbosuperchargers all act to increase engine power by forcing O2-A air into an ICE at increased density or volume. Some use exhaust gases to drive turbines for compressing the air. There is no great increase in the oxygen level of the air mass being forced into the engine's carburetion process.
Devices and processes for a creation of a Hi-Osub2 content from an O2-A are well known in the art of medicine wherein they are used for a wide range of purposes. Such uses include provision of Hi-Osub2 level air for persons having breathing problems such as COPD and other medical conditions, as well as for use in accelerating the healing of flesh wounds and burns.
Many US patents teach a medical use of devices and processes that utilize a sieve bed containing an adsorptive component for selectively adsorbing and removing a substantially absorbable component, typically nitrogen, of an air mixture while allowing a passage forward of an Osub2 component of that air mixture and thereby creating a Hi-Osub2 air mass for use by persons requiring an intake of oxygenated air of higher Osub2 than that found in ambient air, such include: U.S. Pat. No. 8,900,353; U.S. Pat. No. 8,888,902; U.S. Pat. No. 8,753,435; U.S. Pat. No. 8,702,041; U.S. Pat. No. 5,917,135; U.S. Pat. No. 8,568,519; U.S. Pat. No. 8,388,745; U.S. Pat. No. 8,337,181; U.S. Pat. No. 7,837,761; U.S. Pat. No. 6,691,702; U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,672, U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,609, U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,459 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,814 among a long list of others.
As far back as October 1956, a process was taught using a pair of cylindrical containers filled with an adsorbent material for removal of a liquid from a gas stream; in that instance the purpose was to dry gas in delivery lines. (U.S. Pat. No. 2,765,868). U.S. Pat. No. 3,696,588 (1972) taught a similar arrangement in a use for separating liquid out of compressor lines, brake lines and such.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,691,702 (Appel, Feb. 17, 2004) makes specific reference to the use of the oxygen that has been concentrated for ailments that affect the respiratory system, heart disease and AIDS; U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,459 (Pinkerton, Jan. 1, 1985) makes reference to the use of the enriched Osub2 for purposes of treating respiratory ailments such as emphysema and pneumonia; U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,814 (Gessner, Jan. 6, 1976) references the use of the HiOsub2 in the treatment of patients suffering respiratory ailments, such as emphysema.
So, there is a long history of an adsorbtive media bed process being used to create Hi-Osub2 for a use in the art/field of medical practice.
On the other hand, very few US patents teach a use of Oxygen concentration devices and processes that are specifically intended for use in improving the performance if ICEs and for reducing exhaust pollutants from vehicles ucing ICEs. Two such are, U.S. Pat. No. 7,337,770 (Moon) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,908,023 (Stutzenberger).
However, neither U.S. Pat. No. 7,337,770 (Moon) nor U.S. Pat. No. 5,908,023 (Stutzenberger) teach or use a device or process involving a use of a sieve bed containing an adsorptive component for selectively adsorbing and removing a substantially absorbable component of an air mixture while allowing a passage forward of an Osub2 component of that air mixture and thereby creating a hi-Osub2 air mass. Instead, both Moon and Stutzenberger teach a reverse osmosis process involving the ability of and a use of a permeable membrane to selectively disallow a passage of one component of an air mixture from passage through the membrane while simultaneously allowing another component to pass forward through the membrane, thus increasing the percentage of the component that passes through the membrane relative to any component in the original air mass for which passage forward has been diminished or eliminated.